Electronic systems have become ubiquitous in many modern societies, wherein these systems may be used to perform various tasks electronically, such as to increase the ease and efficiency with which certain tasks may be carried out. Oftentimes, it is useful in such electronic systems that an electrical signal be created with a particular frequency, such as to provide a stable clock signal for digital integrated circuits. Resonator devices are frequently used in oscillators to generate the aforementioned particular frequency.
Prior art resonator devices tend to be sensitive to external vibrations which affect the stability of the particular frequency which they are intended to generate when connected within an oscillator. Therefore there is a need to reduce the sensitivity of resonator devices to external vibration. In the prior art this problem has been addressed by utilizing a separate inertial sensor to detect such external vibrations and to attempt to correct changes in the oscillators frequency by pulling the frequency within the sustaining circuit of the oscillator. However, this increases the overall size of the system (since there is a separate inertial sensor added to the mix) and it does not properly correct for non-linear mechanical behavior within the quartz of the oscillator resonator for large vibrations. Prior art devices have used separate inertial sensors for detecting vibrations of the quartz resonator and correcting the changes in the oscillator frequency by pulling the frequency of the oscillator electrically within the sustaining circuit of the oscillator. However, this increases the overall size of the system and does no correct for non-linear mechanical behavior within the quartz for large vibrations.
What is needed is a more accurate way to inhibit mechanical vibrations otherwise induced in quartz resonators due to environmental shock while continuing to allow the quartz resonators to vibrate at their normal frequencies.